RS.2 BILLION DOLE FOR MAOISTS IN BUDGET

RS 2 BILLION SET ASIDE FOR MAOISTS IN BUDGET

Kathmandu, 2 Aug.: To please ruling party UCPN (Maoist). government is preparing to set aside Rs.2 billion in the budget for those killed an missing in the insurgency. Balkrishna Geywali reports in Nagarik.
It has come to light Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bharat Mohan Adhikari set aside the money through the ministry of peace and reconstruction following Maoist pressure.
Every family of the missing and killed will receive Rs 200,000
A separate set of directives has be prepared for the distribution.
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BRAZIL TO OPEN AN EMBASSY IN NEPAL AS WELL

Kathmandu, 2 Aug.: Brazil is to open an embassy in Nepal coinciding with the 35th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic between the two states, Kantipr report.
A Brazilian diplomat to coming to Kathmandu in one month to make preparations, Ambassador to Brazil Pradumna Bikram Shah told Kantipur.
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FORMER IGP RAMESH CHAND THAKURI BLAMES POLITICAL LEADERSHIP FOR SUDAN SCAM

Kathmandu, 2 Aug.: Former Inspector General of Police Ramesh Chand Thakuri has testified before the Special Court in his defence that the then political leadership was involved in the Sudan scam. Thakuri, one of the 34 police officials accused in the scam, was sent to jail based on prima facie evidence and later released on Rs 70 million bail, Pranab Kharel writes in The Kathmandu Post .

Court officials, who grilled IGP Thakuri, told the Post on Monday that some two weeks ago he expressed utter dismay at the “weak” and “flawed” charge sheet filed by the Commission for Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA). Thakuri claimed he was innocent and said the CIAA missed the whole mark by a mile by sparing the then political leadership. Thakuri did not mention their names, however. Records show that the scam occurred over a period of four years starting in 2007 when Krishna Prasad Sitaula was heading the Home Ministry. After Sitaula, Bam Dev Gautam and Bhim Rawal headed the Home Ministry one after another till 2010. “During the interrogation Thakuri questioned why the role of the then political officials was not investigated and why they were let off the hook,” said a court official.

“When we asked him to disclose who were involved, he told us that it was the then political leadership.”

However, CIAA officials have been maintaining that they did not drag in the then political leadership in the lawsuit because they could not get any evidence against the leaders.

According to sources, Thakuri passed the buck to then chief of Nepal Police, Om Bikram Rana, arguing that the deal took place during Rana’s tenure. Thakuri argued that Rana is to blame for the simple reason that his decision to seal the deal unnecessarily benefited the contractor.

The Special Court on July 19 had held Thakuri responsible for releasing US$ 450,000 in six installments to Assured Risks, the London-based supplier of Armoured Personnel Carriers (APC) and US$ 273,063 in a seventh installment while he was heading the police administration. The Court in its order had also stated,

“There is no evidence to prove that the defendant was unaware of the scam as Rajendra Singh Bhandari, the then Chief of the FPU (Nepali peace keeping mission) in Sudan, had talked about the matter and the media had reported the irregularities that occurred in the deal.” On Sept 17, 2009 Thakuri had approved the Police Welfare Fund’s decision to release Rs 450 million to purchase the APCs and other logistics for the Sudan mission. The Court had slapped a bail amount of Rs 70 million on Thakuri.
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HONG KONG GROUPS TO HELP NEPALIS



Kathmandu, 2 Aug.: Two Hong Kong-based oganisations working for the rights and welfare of Nepali domestic workers have initiated a campaign to press authorities to lift the employment visa prohibition for Nepali citizens, Nirmal Shrestha writes in The Kathmandu Post from Kong Kong.
Nepalese Domestic Workers’ Union (NDWU) and Far East Overseas Nepalese Association (FEONA) have jointly come up with various programmes to mount pressure on the Hong Kong government to heed to their demand. The campaign was declared in a press meet organised on Sunday. The two organisations told the press that they would appeals for high-level talks between the governments of Nepal and Hong Kong on relaxing the employment visa prohibition for Nepalis.
International Migrants Alliance, Migrant Forum in Asia and Federation of Asian Domestic Workers Union have pledged to support the campaign.
FEONA Vice President Ganga Khatiwada said the support from the internationally-recognised workers’ organisations could play a crucial role in the movement. “Presently, we are preparing to arrange ministerial-level talks between the two governments,” he said.
As part of the campaign, NDWU and FEONA have submitted a memorandum to the Hong Kong
mmirgration, appealing to the authorities to consider the contribution made by Nepalis in Hong Kong and review the status of employment visa for Nepalis.
In support of the campaign, the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women has provided financial aid of around Rs 780,000, organisers said.
A survey conducted by a Hong Kong-based trade union had found that Nepali domestic workers were among the most affected by what it dubbed a “discriminatory policy of the local government.”
There are 32,000 Nepalis residing in Hong Kong. Among them, around 600 are said to be working as domestic workers. Besides Nepalis, the Hong Kong government has proscribed employment visa for citizens of Afghanistan, Cambodia, Laos, North Korea, Vietnam, Cuba and Albania.

FEONA Spokesman Indra Banem said Nepal should not be compared with the other countries that have been denied work visa. “Not only the number of Nepalis, the contribution of Nepalis in Hong Kong is also high,” he argued.
NDWU President Chuni Thapa said in case the workers do not find their jobs suitable and decide to leave, they are forced to find a new work within two weeks as per the existing regulations.
Citing causes like volatile political situation of Nepal and growing number of illegal immigrants, the Hong Kong Immigration Department had prohibited business, training, study and employment visas from 2005.
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